Jonathan Edwards on true boldness vs. false pride

May 9

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There is a pretended boldness for Christ that arises from no better principle than pride. A man may be forward to expose himself to the dislike of the world, and even to provoke their displeasure, out of pride. For ’tis the nature of spiritual pride to cause men to seek distinction and singularity; and so oftentimes to set themselves at war with those that they call carnal, that they may be more highly exalted among their party. True boldness for Christ is universal and overcomes all, and carries ‘em above the displeasure of friends and foes; so that they will forsake all rather than Christ and will rather offend all parties, and be thought meanly of by all, than offend Christ. And that duty tries whether a man is willing to be despised by them that are of his own party, and thought the least worthy to be regarded by them, is a much more proper trial of his boldness for Christ, than his being forward to expose himself to the reproach of opposers. (Jonathan Edwards, Religious Affections, 352)

HT Kevin DeYoung

About Marc Cortez

Theology Prof and Dean at Western Seminary, husband, father, & blogger, who loves theology, church history, ministry, pop culture, books, and life in general.

Posted on May 9, 2011, in The Modern Church and tagged . Bookmark the permalink. 5 Comments.

  1. Craig L. Adams | May 10, 2011 at 4:58 am

    And, then there may be some who are a mixture of both, and only their response to the tests of life will determine which it is. (But, maybe that’s a different perspective, huh?)

    Reply
  2. Renee Davies | May 10, 2011 at 2:43 pm

    I really like this quote, but I’m stumped on the term “false pride”. Isn’t pride, in and of itself false and all other things bad?” I mean in regard to Christ, the term pride, as in “proud to be a servant” is never really mentioned, is it?

    I’ve met true boldness in Christ, and it mostly speaks with a kind voice and with an incredible resolve that, upon closer inspection, is rooted in love for Him and others.

    This is a great topic. Thank for posting it.

    Reply
  3. Marc Cortez | May 10, 2011 at 3:52 pm

    Renee, that’s a fair point. The “false” part was my own editorializing. And, it stems from my concern that we not undervalue ourselves as those created in God’s image. So, I do think it’s legitimate to be proud of who God has created us to be and the work that he enables/empowers in us (e.g. Rom. 15:17; Phil 2:16). So, I think there’s both a false pride and a false humility and each can be quite detrimental.

    Reply
  4. Renee Davies | May 10, 2011 at 6:37 pm

    False humility. Yes, that’s an unfortunate condition 🙂 Isn’t that just another flavor of pride? It takes cleverness to be falsely humble.

    Reply

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